JJ Stankevitz: I get that the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and the AFC South getting tight is understandably creating some consternation here.
But Steichen’s late-game playcalling wasn’t a problem in Berlin, when the Colts were able to run the ball at will against the Atlanta Falcons – including on the final four plays of the game, which got the Colts from the Atlanta 33-yard line into the end zone.
Four possessions in Kansas City, for me, isn’t enough to slam the panic button. Let’s see how Sunday against the Texans goes.
As for the plan, I’m interested in seeing if Houston dials up more blitzes than usual given some of the Colts’ offensive issues against five-or-more-man pressures in the last three weeks. The Texans enter Week 13 with the second-lowest blitz rate in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, as their defense has consistently been able to wreck games by rushing four – led by defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter – and playing tight coverage behind it. Will the Texans deviate from who they’ve been defensively to try to shut down the Colts’ offense, or will they stick to what they’ve been great at this year?
And, no matter what Houston does, can the Colts’ offense continue to operate with the sort of efficiency we’ve come to expect from them this season? Remember, prior to the fourth quarter of Week 12, the Colts were averaging six yards per play against the Chiefs – and that was without getting running back Jonathan Taylor going against a Kansas City defense that did some good things to slow him down.
It’s probably easy to say the Colts could run the ball more, but if they’re not getting the right looks from the Texans’ defense, they might not find success pounding the ball into disadvantageous fronts. We’ll see.